Missing the Target
As I noted once before, I have a Greatest Journal with the same name and have been friending whenever I can.
However.
As much as I agree that freedom of expression is paramount, stalking off LJ in a snit isn't the answer. Six Apart is bound by U.S. law, as a corporation based in the US. And current U.S. law unfortunately can't see the difference between (a) the photographs taken by a child-prostitution ringleader to sell to pedophile clients and (b) a drawing done by a fan artist to explore the what-if of a favorite novel or television show.
An excellent summary of the situation is here: http://synecdochic.livejournal.com/147625.html
Instead of yelling at Six Apart over the fact that they've been forced off the high wire they were balancing on between actively enforcing U.S. law and hoping users would self-police, take your anger to the source. Write your Congress representative. Write your senator. Tell them that the current indecency laws go too far, do not achieve the goals they want, and are woefully inadequate to address the international reach of the Internet. Donate to EFF or the ACLU so they'll have funds to try and get the current laws overturned through the courts or stave off future attempts to make such laws reach even farther.
Because the next thing that will happen, is that fandom will take its toys of questionable legality under current law and then Greatest Journal or Insane Journal will be put into LiveJournal's place and be forced to do the exact same thing months down the road.
*goes to post fics at GJ anyway*
However.
As much as I agree that freedom of expression is paramount, stalking off LJ in a snit isn't the answer. Six Apart is bound by U.S. law, as a corporation based in the US. And current U.S. law unfortunately can't see the difference between (a) the photographs taken by a child-prostitution ringleader to sell to pedophile clients and (b) a drawing done by a fan artist to explore the what-if of a favorite novel or television show.
An excellent summary of the situation is here: http://synecdochic.livejournal.com/147625.html
Instead of yelling at Six Apart over the fact that they've been forced off the high wire they were balancing on between actively enforcing U.S. law and hoping users would self-police, take your anger to the source. Write your Congress representative. Write your senator. Tell them that the current indecency laws go too far, do not achieve the goals they want, and are woefully inadequate to address the international reach of the Internet. Donate to EFF or the ACLU so they'll have funds to try and get the current laws overturned through the courts or stave off future attempts to make such laws reach even farther.
Because the next thing that will happen, is that fandom will take its toys of questionable legality under current law and then Greatest Journal or Insane Journal will be put into LiveJournal's place and be forced to do the exact same thing months down the road.
*goes to post fics at GJ anyway*